Proverbs 8:22-31, Wisdom’s Eternality Expounded!
March 30, Proverbs 8:22-31
Luke 11:31, 49-51; Col. 1:15-17 “O Father, glorify thou me … with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
Wisdom’s Eternality Expounded!
- The Solution Strengthened: Confusing it may seem, but between the Orthodox followers of Athanasius and those of the heretic Arius, there was no question that the reference in here was to the pre-existent Person of our Lord, although there was a vital difference as to the interpretation. C.D. Alexander, in his exposition of John’s Gospel, declared, “That John’s doctrine of the Word is deeply rooted in Proverbs 8 there can be no doubt when Solomon’s passage is carefully considered. The first five verses (22-26) describe the existence of the Word (Wisdom) before creation, and the remaining five (27-31) tell of the participation of the Word in creation itself. The first three verses of John’s Gospel are but a condensation of this passage in Proverbs.” Commentators tried to link John’s Logos with Greek philosophy, especially that of the Alexandrian Jew, Philo. In fact, John’s doctrine is radically different from the Logos-idea of Philo. A.H. Strong states, “Instead of Philo’s doctrine being a stepping-stone from Judaism to Christianity, it was a stumbling-stone.” He goes on, “The Christian doctrine of the Logos was perhaps, before anything else, an effort to express how Jesus Christ was God (theos), and yet in another sense not the God (ho theos, Jn. 1:1); that is, He was not the whole Godhead” (ST, p.320; Liddon, The Divinity of our Lord, pp.63-72).
Consider a. The Gender Form: Does the fact that Wisdom is referred to as feminine create a problem? How does that fit in with our contention that Wisdom personifies Jesus Christ? This is a repeated objection to Wisdom properly representing the Second Person of the Trinity. It has also been used more recently to justify removing all masculine gender references to God in the Bible and hymnbooks. Some feminists are part of a “goddess movement” that is attempting to restore belief in the feminine deities of Rome, Egypt, and India! They have, however, only succeeded in creating a false god in the image of a woman, as well as attacking the Bible’s divine authority. Hengstenberg rejects all this by saying, “The divine Mediator of Creation appears as personal wisdom (feminine) because here he is considered according to His wisdom unfolded in creation, as similarly in Ecclesiastes Solomon is represented as incarnate Wisdom under the name Koheleth (feminine), meaning the Preacher.” Christ also designates Himself Wisdom.
b. The Genesis Focus: Wisdom was co-eternal with Jehovah (vs.22-26). When the early Fathers spoke of eternal generation they were not suggesting the genesis or origin of Christ’s existence, but were asserting an eternal relation to the Father. There was never a time when the Son did not exist as God. At the beginning, whenever that was, Christ was. Before all His works, Wisdom was with the Father. The Father Himself did not exist before the Living Word of Creation. In 1 Cor. 1:24 Paul gives his account of the Logos. He who bears that description bears it in view of the complete identification with the Godhead as the full expression of the omnipotence and eternal Wisdom of God. “The excellencies of Christ are perfectly exclusive of all their opposites” (Flavel).
Thought: “There is an infinite fullness in Jesus Christ” (J.C. Ryle)
Prayer: Lord, I believe in order that I might understand.